East Sussex County Council Link Road fiasco

Political observers have failed to see the connection between the Tory loss of East Sussex County Council and the fierce resistance to the Link Road being foisted upon the population at the east end of East Sussex by George Osborne and the now departed head of East Sussex County Council Peter Jones. It certainly has not been missed on my blog or at the annual Jack in the Green Carnival, celebrated yesterday by many tens of thousands, who saw the ten foot tall Hollywood Sign style saying “No Link Road” across the hill opposite.

People think the Link Road must be completed because Peter Jones spent so much money (currently estimated at approaching £20m by some pundits) even before the government granted permission to build. However this is not the case, because the housing developers who are building the properties at the Bexhill end of the Scheme have admitted in their planning applications that the Link Road was not an essential feature. Most of the money spent to date has been at the western end where the old railway line has been lost. It is the third of the route that falls into the proposed route S3A that avoids the Combe Haven environmental disaster, avoids the heritage claims for the Battle of Hastings and in 1997 when the route was discussed at Public Inquiry was the cheapest route.

It seems to me the politicians of East Sussex who now are no longer controlled by the whims of George Osborne or his crony Peter Jones should think this route again. If they adopt route S3A they will save the country money, they will save the environment and save the heritage disaster – that is a win win situation. All it needs is political will and the minds of those who are not puppets of masters who live somewhere else. Isnt that what we have politicians for?